About this project

Narratively

$53,739

pledged of $50,000 goal

802

backers

The Elevator Pitch

New York is bigger and badder, weirder and sadder, and far more uplifting and intoxicating than the news headlines would have you believe. But too many of its stories are left untold. Narratively is changing that, and then we’ll do it in your city, too.

We don’t care about the breaking news or the next big headline. Narratively is devoted exclusively to sharing New York’s untold stories — the rich, in-depth narratives that get at the heart of what this city’s all about.

The Problem

It’s no secret that New York is saturated with top-notch media outlets. But in such a fast-paced city, many of those outlets have no choice but to focus on the 24/7 cycle of breaking news, politics, entertainment and gossip. Countless blogs and websites repeat these stories over and over, but few have the time, resources or interest to undertake high-quality feature reporting. As a result, great human-interest pieces about New York are hard to find.

Our Solution

Narratively slows down the news cycle. Each week, we’ll explore a different theme about New York and publish a series of connected stories — just one a day — told in the most appropriate medium for each piece.
We might feature a longform article with portrait photos on a Monday, followed by an animated documentary on Tuesday, then a photo essay, an audio piece or a short documentary film. Every story gets the space and time it needs to have an impact. We’ll bring you weeks devoted to New York’s waterways, hustlers, sexual subcultures, obscure pastimes and countless other themes. We’ll even get you involved in theme and story selection.

We place a premium on engaging you, our audience, so throughout the week, we’ll solicit and curate thoughtful feedback and content. We’ll also produce events featuring Q&A's, film screenings, discussions and live storytelling.
Narratively is all about providing an immersive and multidimensional storytelling experience that you can’t get elsewhere, certainly not on a local level.

Who We Are

Narratively’s founder, publisher and editor-in-chief, Noah Rosenberg, managing editor, Brendan Spiegel, and writers, photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, and web developer/designers have all worked regularly for top media outlets like The New York Times, New York magazine, The New Yorker, CBS News, The BBC, GQ and MediaStorm, among other innovative and experimental properties.

We’re professionals who pride ourselves on our journalistic integrity, and we’re passionate storytellers who will push the envelope when it comes to creativity and craft.

Join Us

We can’t do this alone. Since announcing this project, and through a subsequent profile written about us, we’ve been humbled by the outpouring of support from around the world. Now we need your help. With $50,000 in Kickstarter funding from you, our talented team will create six months of compelling, innovative and important Narratively stories — stories you won’t find elsewhere. Your generous pledges will also allow us to complete development of the Narratively website and roll out the plan we believe will help us become sustainable after our initial six months. We’re confident that, given the right resources and support, you’ll quickly realize why our team is so passionate and dedicated to sharing Narratively with you.

Please make a pledge to Narratively, and please stick with us beyond our Kickstarter campaign; your support, ideas, enthusiasm and criticism are integral to our success, as we expand the art of true storytelling in new directions. We welcome your comments here, as well as your emails, which can be directed to noah@narrative.ly. Also, please follow Narratively on Twitter and Facebook, and join our email list to be notified about our upcoming launch.

Your support is invaluable. Thank you for believing in us.

Collaboration Credits

We are so passionate about the city of New York, and its vibrant, one-of-a-kind residents that we felt it was only proper to make use of their ideas and talents in our Kickstarter campaign. To that end, we would be nowhere without the invaluable support of the following people:

Last, but by no means least, we solicited New York City photographs from you via Twitter, Facebook and our email list leading up to the launch of our Kickstarter campaign. Those photographs, many of which were featured in the opening montage of our video, were kindly and creatively submitted by:

For our launch period, Narratively will focus on New York. However, we believe that the unique stories we cover will be interesting to readers regardless of location, and we plan to expand to other cities soon.

Narratively will use the $50,000 from this Kickstarter campaign to pay our writers, photographers, filmmakers and other multimedia contributors for six months of stories, and to fund the supplies, equipment and resources needed to produce those stories.

The party, Beer-Telling & Funk, is an evening of live storytelling (featuring a Moth champion), standup comedy, and funk & soul music. Anyone who pledges or has already pledged to Narratively can come, regardless of the amount of the pledge. It'll be a great night and it's all to say THANK YOU! More details here: http://www.facebook.com/events/387948167938546/

Support this project

Select this reward

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

Help get our project off the ground by becoming a Narratively Launcher. Our Launchers will play a pivotal role in the editorial process by voting on which themes Narratively focuses on for upcoming weeks.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Join Narratively as a Premium Member. In addition to the Launcher benefits, you’ll receive a one-year Premium Membership to Narratively, which includes exclusive content such as an e-book edition with all of our stories formatted for easy reading on tablets and e-readers — plus extras like behind-the-scenes interviews with our subjects and interactive maps of our favorite spots in New York City. Additionally, Premium Members will receive free access to Narratively screenings, discussions and storytelling events for a year.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Snag a Narratively Premium Membership for yourself and a friend, and come party with us! In addition to the Launcher and Premium Member benefits mentioned above, you’ll get a bonus Premium Membership to give away and two invitations to our launch party in New York.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

Bring Narratively photojournalism into your home. Choose an image from the six months of Narratively stories funded by this campaign — and we'll send you a high-quality, professional 8x10 photo print. You’ll also receive the Launcher, Premium Member, bonus and launch party benefits mentioned above.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

Carry high-quality journalism with you everywhere you go. We’ll send you a custom-designed smartphone case featuring an original Narratively New York photo. Plus, you'll get all the other rewards mentioned above.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Become a member of the exclusive Narratively Inner Circle. Get an individual audience with our editorial team as you join us, behind the scenes, to develop story ideas at a special evening soiree. Plus you'll receive every other reward mentioned above.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Become a Narratively Storyteller. Our team will conduct a private, one-day workshop on nonfiction storytelling, customized for you and two other people in whatever storytelling realm you wish: photo, video, audio, writing, editing and more. Plus, you'll receive all the other rewards mentioned above.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Be the story. A Narratively photojournalist will shoot you in an iconic (or little-known) New York setting of your choice. (New York Harbor as the backdrop for your family holiday card? Engagement photos under the Brooklyn Bridge? Portrait of your beloved pooch in Prospect Park?) If you’re not in New York, we’ll shoot a professional series of your favorite NYC setting and send you a digital portfolio, plus you’ll receive the rewards from all of the previous levels of support.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

Become a Narratively Patron and discuss the future of journalism in style. You’ll get two seats at our exclusive Narratively Dining event, an intimate and private evening with a select group of leading journalists and innovators shaping the New York and national media landscape. You’ll also receive a lifetime Premium Membership to Narratively (featuring exclusive content and free access to storytelling events). On top of that, you'll have your name listed on our site as a Patron and also receive the rewards from each of the levels mentioned above.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

Sponsor Narratively. We’ll present an entire week of Narratively stories in the name of an individual, organization or cause of your choice. Of course, you'll also receive the benefits from every previous level of support.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

Become a Narratively Globetrotter and we’ll bring Narratively to you. Decide where in the world Narratively should focus on next — we’ll fly there and devote an entire week to telling the under-the-radar human-interest stories from the location of your choice. Every other Narratively reward mentioned is yours, too.